State Senator John A. Kissel
is currently serving his eighth term representing
Connecticut’s 7th Senatorial District,
which presently includes East Granby, Enfield,
Somers, Suffield, Windsor Locks and portions
of Granby and Windsor. Senator Kissel is the
Senate’s Ranking Member on the Committees
on Judiciary, Human Services, and the Program
Review and Investigations Committee and also
serves on the Commerce Committee.
Born in Worcester, Massachusetts
in 1959, Senator Kissel was raised in Windsor,
Connecticut. He received a Bachelor of Science
Degree from the University of Connecticut
School of Education in 1981, a Juris Doctor
Degree from Western New England College School
of Law in 1984, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree
in Liberal Arts and Sciences, with a major
in history, from the University of Connecticut
in 2002. He is a Past Adjunct Professor at
Bay Path College in Longmeadow, Mass. and
currently works as a corporate attorney for
Northeast Utilities.
During his years in the
General Assembly, Senator Kissel has been
a lead advocate on behalf of Connecticut’s
senior population. Last year, he received
the Connecticut Commission on Aging’s
first annual “Agewise Advocate Award,”
given for ongoing exemplary support of the
state’s present and future generations
of older residents and was recognized by the
Connecticut Association of Adult Day Care
Centers for his work on behalf of adult day
care. Senator Kissel has also in the past
been named Legislator of the Year by The Connecticut
Association of Not-for-Profit Providers for
the Aged for Outstanding Public Service to
the Elderly in Connecticut.
Last year, Senator Kissel
became only the 14th individual since 1986
to receive the RisCassi-Koskoff Civil Justice
Award from the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association
for his work promoting civil justice throughout
Connecticut. Senator Kissel has also been
named Legislator of the Year by both the Connecticut
Assisted Living Association and the Connecticut
Police Chiefs Association. He was also named
an Outstanding Supporter of Healthcare by
the Connecticut Society of Eye Physicians
as well as the Connecticut Dermatological
Society.
In addition to his political
and professional affiliations, Senator Kissel
is also a member of numerous civic organizations,
including Enfield’s Our Lady of Mount
Carmel Society. He is a current member of
the Enfield Republican Town Committee and
a past president of the Greater Enfield Lawyers
Association and a past member of the Connecticut
Bar Association’s House of Delegates.
In 1991, he won the Connecticut
Outstanding Young Citizen Award presented
by The Connecticut Jaycees and WVIT Channel
30. In 1992, he received the Connecticut Jaycees
C. William Brownfield Memorial Award given
to the outstanding first-year Jaycee in Connecticut.
Senator Kissel lives in
Enfield with his wife, Cynthia, and their
sons, Nathaniel and Tristan.
